The Basic Eight

The Basic Eight is the debut novel by author Daniel Handler, published in 1998. The book is a version of the diary of high-schooler Flannery Culp. It contains a number of sarcastic plot devices that ridicule high school English classes, standardized testing, satanic panic and talk-show analysts. The book is a classic example of an unreliable narrator. Consistent with Handler's farcical treatment of high school English, he includes vocabulary words and study questions at the end of some of Culp's diary entries. Plot Flannery "Flan" Culp is a senior at Roewer High School in San Francisco. Over the course of the year, Flan records the events of her life in a diary—which, with some heavy editing by Flannery herself years after the fact, becomes the narrative. She and her seven close friends refer to themselves as "The Basic Eight". They are an exclusive clique, hosting the Grand Opera Breakfast Club, and regular dinner and garden parties. The story chronicles Flannery and her friends as they cope with the stresses of their final year of high school and Flannery's complicated love life. The story reaches a dark conclusion in which lives of the members of the Basic Eight are turned upside down by revealed secrets, horrifying self-discoveries, and murder. Characters The Basic Eight consists of: Flannery Culp, the protagonist. Kate Gordon, the Queen Bee. Lily Chandly, a classical musician. Douglas Wilde, Flan's ex-boyfriend. V__, whose rich parents have had her name expunged from the story. Jennifer Rose Milton, a name so beautiful that Flan must always write it out in full. Gabriel Gallon, the kindest boy in the world. Natasha Hyatt, Flan's exuberant and beautiful best friend. Additional characters include: